This invention relates to air conditioning terminals having a plurality of air stream passages, and in particular to a terminal designed to limit turbulence produced as a result of the intermixing of the air streams flowing through the various air passages.
The utilization of air conditioning terminals to supply conditioned air from a central source thereof to offices, schoolrooms, and other similar spaces in multi-room buildings has become increasingly prevalent. Such terminals are typically located in the ceiling of the rooms being conditioned, or on the floor thereof adjacent the windows. The use of such terminals in rooms normally occupied by people dictates that the conditioned air be discharged from the terminals as quietly as possible. That is to say, noise generated by operation of the terminal should be maintained at a minimum.
An air conditioning terminal of the type suitable for installation in a ceiling that has met with widespread commercial success is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,111, issued Jan. 12, 1971 and assigned to the same assignee as the assignee hereof.
The terminal disclosed in the aforecited patent includes an assembly for regulating the quantity of conditioned air discharged into the room or space being conditioned in accordance with the actual temperature requirements of the occupants thereof. Such air regulating assembly includes an inflatable bellows, the amount the bellows is inflated varying inversely with the quantity of conditioned air discharged from the terminal.
The conditioned air is supplied to each of the terminals from a central station refrigeration machine via suitable ducts. Each terminal includes a plenum section in communication with a supply duct. A terminal further includes a distribution chamber having an air regulating assembly disposed therein. A plate having a plurality of openings is interposed between the plenum section and the distribution chamber.
In the terminals of the prior art, essentially two separable air streams were defined in the terminal. The separate streams flowed downwardly through the terminal and were discharged from the unit via two separate discharge slots.
In newer terminals, it has been deemed desirable to increase the quantity of conditioned air discharged therefrom to meet the requirements of certain applications. It has been necessary to provide a second air regulating assembly in the newer terminals of the type described to accommodate the increased quantity of air flowing through the unit. The second assembly defines a pair of air flow paths parallel to the flow paths defined by the first assembly.
Thus, four separate air streams are defined within the terminal. Since the terminal continues to have only two discharge slots, it is necessary that the separate air streams be combined "upstream" from the discharge slots. As the air is moving at a considerable velocity, uncontrolled intermixing of the streams would cause turbulence, thereby reducing the efficiency of operation of the terminal, and also possibly resulting in the generation of undesirable noise.